Recent Changes

Discussion Questions Chapters 11-12:
1.)"You've been halfway living your life for too long. May was saying that when it's time to die, go ahead and die, and when its time to live, live. Don't sort-of-maybe live, but live like you're going all out, like your not afraid" (Kidd 211). What is the significance of June marrying Neil?
juneJune is breaking what she enjoys
livingenjoys. Every one starts to discover that live is worth living with out regretsregrets.
2.)How are things getting worse for Lily even though she's still in her "dream world?" "Sometimes I didn't feel like getting out of bed... I just didn't care" (Kidd 215).
not letting in all the good things in life
not accepting of the good things
has an emptiness in her heart
not knowing how to process the happiness
may be mentally not okay
trying to bury the past
she knowsLily understands that thingsnothing will ever be resolved with t rayT-Ray, so pretty much a healthy relationship will never be settled or fixed between themformed because of their past. As Lily knows this she
3.)"'Remembering is everything.' Still, the whole idea wrapped me in sadness. I hated remembering" (Kidd 228). Why is it important to remember the past but not dwell on it?
you wont remember yourself in the past

Chapters 4-5 Discussion:
*1. How can change in a person's life help them?
~go backChange is may times good but on the other hand change can also be bad. In Lilys and T-Rays situation change could be very good. But now that Liy has changed her life style and not just by a little but she has changed it by allot she can get good change to #6the improvment of her life. Many times change causes a person to forget and forgive the facts that had happened before and we think that this i what is going to happen to Lily. If she is placed in a good enviornment then she can get the love and respect that she needs and is she recives that she might stop blaming herself for the death of her mother and actually live a normal life that a child is ment to have. It should no hurt to be a kid but in her situation it hurts.
2. What is the purpose of having a character like May in the book? Is it to show how today's society views discrimination?
~emptyness swallows a person whole, loss of love
~shetreats every one equally
~no one feel ws a diffrence
~mayWe think that may is ament to be in this story because she is the type of character that providesbrings the equallity in this book
~she think of her selfshe dosent care is people are colored or if people are white she treats every one the same respectsame, she treats them they way she belives people are to be treated and also the way that she wantswould want to get back
~shesbe treated. May sees that every one is capable ofhas the ability to be good anddand every one diffrence bettween rightgood and wrong.bad. In all May is in the book to bring the equallity.
3. Have racism and sexism been eradicated in America? Has it been eradicated in the world?
~it ovioslySexism obviously exsists
~overeaction
~basketball......
~sexism, strong....
~teacher it is not as shown in our world today but it is well our there. For example
~sexting
~football..........all sports there are many jobs that woman are not ment to do because they arnt "strong enough". But really sexism is every where people have different views of how genders and races are ment to be placed in the world so until people all have the same view on every individual there will be sexism.
*4. Why does Lily think that her mother had been to the bee farm? Has Deborah been there?
~level oneone. Its just a feeling she just wants to think that her mom was there so she continues to think that.
5. Does Rosaleen think of Lily as her daughter? Was that why she was jealous of Lily and August's developing relationship?
~show s alootRosaleen is very over protective over Lily, and she shows a lot of love
~she towards her but now that Lily is around other woman who really care for her, Rosaleen is starting to get very possesive
~over protevetionover protective and lovealso jelous. But the one thing that Rosaleen is nt affraicdstill keeping in mind is that it is better to love lily
~rather share Lily then to just lose her compleatly.
*6. How is the new environment affecting Lily and Rosaleen?
~she has aLily is finally feeling the emotion of belonging
~she feels safelove, and belives that she hasprotection. She is in a home, she has a job with the honey but she knows that shegood place where every one cares about her and is neededtrying to help her. Both Lily and rosaleen feel that she is part of the family.
~Change can be goodthey are now equal and bad
~Change givesthey are thinking that they are living in a person a diffent perspective
~We need stability, but we need change so we can experiance life.
~Change lets us learn
~with out change their will be no improvment.dream land where every thing is great.
Chapter 6-8 Discussion:
1.) Are some things better left unknown? Rosaleen doesn’t necessarily want Lily to find out about her mother because she thinks that the truth will hurt her. Is it always better to know the truth?

Questions to discuss during the book club meetings will be posted below:
1. What role do the bees play in these few chapters?
bees also represenrepresent the minorities over in Lilys life meaning
2. What kind of character is T-Ray (Terrence Ray (T. Ray) Owens), what makes him what he is
becoming dynamic character.Wecharacter. We think that long run. T-RatT-Ray is a
3. What kind of character is Lily, why does she do the same actions as she does?
fullest. She
lily means blossoming flower
she doesnt dosent have any freedom
bees help flowers blossoms to actually blossom and is being kept up in such a limit of freedom that she just thinks that the way she lives is the way she is ment to live. Lilys name meaning a flower has something to do with the bees are helping liliy comebecause the bees help the flowers blossom and she is in this case being helped to blossom and find out the true meaning of her safety shell
shelife. Lily is one of those characters who is also afraid o rejection and so is T-Ray both of them had went through a serious loss of their loved one early on in their life's there for they are scared of the rejection
Lily and they are also afraid of providing each other love, both of them want they love but they just dont know how to show that emotion. In all Lily is a her mom. Becca
4. Do harsh relationship?
no
We think that, no its not of a father
yesfather. But on the other hand it kind of is because of the death becauseof their mother they are both bringing blame each other for the death
Ion themselves. So in all we think that the death T-Ray treats Lily.-BeccaLily.
5. Do they actually love each other?
they areBoth Characters do love each other or aleast they once did but with all the friction of their relationship they had both become afraid of rejectionto love one another because they are scared to love and commitments
I thinkthey just dont remember that these characters onceemotion after the loss of their loved each other, but now there is no love. -Beccaone.
Chapters 4-5 Discussion:
*1. How can change in a person's life help them?

posted below:
1. What is the significance of the female communities in the novel? How do they help Lily grow up? In this book none of the females are treated wih respect. They are there always there when Lily needs them. The female communities could possibly be there as the female mentors for Lily, in place of her mother.
The significance of female characters could be there to emphasize the loss of Lily's mother and to provide possible mentor figures (from hero's journey) for Lily. Also, what does T Ray have to do with the communities? Why are we "blaming" people for the communities? Are the communities good or bad? Are all the people in the book partially racist?- Becca
2.
1. What role secluded areas.
3. The bees also appear to Lily one night as a symbol of hope. We belive that when the bees had just came the first night there was a turn over in Lilys life meaning to Lily that it was time to go and time to start over. the bees also symbolize escapism, for example the time when Lily told the bees they can go now and they just crawled around the rim of the jar they wanted to escape they just didnt know how, so that shows that now was Lilys turn to learn how to escape.
2. What kind
In a way the meaning of Ray ("wise protector") may show a foreshadow of T. Ray becoming dynamic character.We think that he is one of the characters that is a bad influence in the book. He is not showing affection or love towards Lily because he is afraid that she will reject him in the long run. T-Rat is a static character so far, he has not indicated any signs of changing how he acts. We think he is also there to represent an average man in that town, especially in the treatment towards women and African Americans.
4.3. What kind
Lily means "blossoming flower" and this does not describe her character to the fullest. She
lily means blossoming flower
she is also afraid of rejection
Lily is a dynamic character. We have already seen signs of her growth. Lily probably lies because she doesn't know how to trust people, let alone with the truth about her life; and because she is afraid that people will judge her for killing her mom. Becca
5.4. Do you
no its not because of the death of her mother its just that he doesnt know how to play the role of a father
yes it is because of the death because they blame each other for the death
I think the death created some tension between the two, but not all of it. I think that most of the tension is caused by their different views on things like equality and educational development. Another factor is most likely the cruel way T-Ray treats Lily.-Becca
6.5. Do they
they are both afraid of rejection and commitments
I think that these characters once loved each other, but now there is no love. -Becca

Job of the Theme Tracker: Please add any quotations you find interesting or important in BOLD, and comment with your name.
Book Club Members: Please add comments about the posted theme "theme, name"
Themes (Chapters 4-6)Chapters 4-6:
Discovery – Lily is a dynamic character. She is in a process of changing and discovering who she is as an individual. Lily is learning. She is learning about people and the world and she is gaining perspective and her world views are changing because of what she is beginning to understand. To discover things people have to be aware. “I realized it for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly, and we don’t even know it” (Kidd 63).
Segregation/Prejudice – In this book there are a lot of people who are discriminated against. The blacks are treated without respect; even women are not treated equally. People are harassed and abused because of the color of their skin and women are considered inferior because of their gender. I think that segregation and prejudice are a result of arrogance. People tend to focus on themselves, they can even do it on accident sometimes. They consider themselves to be better, smarter, stronger than those around them. It is through these thoughts that boundaries are made – whether intelligence, race or gender. “Since I want to tell the whole truth, whish means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white” (Kidd 78).
-Erin
Themes for Chapters 13-1 (Becca Crandall):
Abandonment: Abandonment can permanently hurt a relationship between the person that leaves and the person that is abandoned. This is shown when T-ray is abandoned both by Deborah and his daughter, Lily.

{http://www.bluebison.net/sketchbook/2006/0906/bees.png} Themes:
Forgiveness- I think that so far, the book is saying that it is impossible to forgive yourself when you make major mistakes. This is especially true for Lily, who can't forgive herself for killing her mother.
I dont think the book is saying its impossible for people to forgive. I think its saying that before we can forgive others we have to forgive ourself, because if we dont think that we are worthy of forgiveness then how can we offer it to others? -Erin
Freedom of Rights- I think that so far this book is indicating that civil rights are given to those who fight for their freedoms. Rosaleen and Martin Luther King Jr. are good examples for this theme because they are willing to fight for their rights, and they won in the end. Lily is also an example because she was stuck under her father's control until she fought and escaped for her independence.
Prejudice- This book is very centered around prejudice and how it can affect society. One example of this is seen in the southern societies. Most of the society is racist towards African-Americans and it affects their judgment. An example of this is seen in the treatment of Rosaleen when she is in jail. The policeman charges Rosaleen with ludicrous crimes and allows men to beat her while she is in prison. If she had not been discriminated against, none of this would have happened.
Job of the Theme Tracker: Please add any quotations you find interesting or important in BOLD, and comment with your name.
Book Club Members: Please add comments about the posted theme "theme, name"
Themes (Chapters 4-6)
Discovery – Lily is a dynamic character. She is in a process of changing and discovering who she is as an individual. Lily is learning. She is learning about people and the world and she is gaining perspective and her world views are changing because of what she is beginning to understand. To discover things people have to be aware. “I realized it for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly, and we don’t even know it” (Kidd 63).
Segregation/Prejudice – In this book there are a lot of people who are discriminated against. The blacks are treated without respect; even women are not treated equally. People are harassed and abused because of the color of their skin and women are considered inferior because of their gender. I think that segregation and prejudice are a result of arrogance. People tend to focus on themselves, they can even do it on accident sometimes. They consider themselves to be better, smarter, stronger than those around them. It is through these thoughts that boundaries are made – whether intelligence, race or gender. “Since I want to tell the whole truth, whish means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white” (Kidd 78).
Themes for Chapters 13-1 (Becca Crandall):
Abandonment: Abandonment can permanently hurt a relationship between the person that leaves and the person that is abandoned. This is shown when T-ray is abandoned both by Deborah and his daughter, Lily.
Forgiveness: Forgiveness is essential in every relationship because no one is perfect. If we never forgive in a relationship, the relationship will fail.
Regret:This book is saying that the past is in the past and there is no point regretting what you have done in the past. It is in the past and there is no way to change what happened. People need to move on and make amends with the people you have hurt and yourself.

{http://www.bluebison.net/sketchbook/2006/0906/bees.png} Themes:
Forgiveness- I think that so far, the book is saying that it is impossible to forgive yourself when you make major mistakes. This is especially true for Lily, who can't forgive herself for killing her mother.
I dont think the book is saying its impossible for people to forgive. I think its saying that before we can forgive others we have to forgive ourself, because if we dont think that we are worthy of forgiveness then how can we offer it to others? -Erin
Freedom of Rights- I think that so far this book is indicating that civil rights are given to those who fight for their freedoms. Rosaleen and Martin Luther King Jr. are good examples for this theme because they are willing to fight for their rights, and they won in the end. Lily is also an example because she was stuck under her father's control until she fought and escaped for her independence.
Prejudice- This book is very centered around prejudice and how it can affect society. One example of this is seen in the southern societies. Most of the society is racist towards African-Americans and it affects their judgment. An example of this is seen in the treatment of Rosaleen when she is in jail. The policeman charges Rosaleen with ludicrous crimes and allows men to beat her while she is in prison. If she had not been discriminated against, none of this would have happened.
Job of the Theme Tracker: Please add any quotations you find interesting or important in BOLD, and comment with your name.
Book Club Members: Please add comments about the posted theme "theme, name"
Themes (Chapters 4-6)
Discovery – Lily is a dynamic character. She is in a process of changing and discovering who she is as an individual. Lily is learning. She is learning about people and the world and she is gaining perspective and her world views are changing because of what she is beginning to understand. To discover things people have to be aware. “I realized it for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly, and we don’t even know it” (Kidd 63).
Segregation/Prejudice – In this book there are a lot of people who are discriminated against. The blacks are treated without respect; even women are not treated equally. People are harassed and abused because of the color of their skin and women are considered inferior because of their gender. I think that segregation and prejudice are a result of arrogance. People tend to focus on themselves, they can even do it on accident sometimes. They consider themselves to be better, smarter, stronger than those around them. It is through these thoughts that boundaries are made – whether intelligence, race or gender. “Since I want to tell the whole truth, whish means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white” (Kidd 78).
Themes for Chapters 13-1 (Becca Crandall):
Abandonment: Abandonment can permanently hurt a relationship between the person that leaves and the person that is abandoned. This is shown when T-ray is abandoned both by Deborah and his daughter, Lily.
Forgiveness: Forgiveness is essential in every relationship because no one is perfect. If we never forgive in a relationship, the relationship will fail.
Regret:This book is saying that the past is in the past and there is no point regretting what you have done in the past. It is in the past and there is no way to change what happened. People need to move on and make amends with the people you have hurt and yourself.

"If I told you right now that I never wondered about that dream, never closed my eyes and pictured her with roach legs, never wondered why she came to me like that, with her worst nature exposed, I would be up to my old habit of lying. A roach is a creature no one can love, but you cannot kill it. It will go on and on and on. Just try to get rid of it." (Kidd 174-175).
-This quote says a lot to me. I think that it shows how touchy of a subject Lily's mother is. I think it also shows that deep down, Lily might believe that her mother left her, and Lily hates her for it. -Becca
"I love you, I love you, I said in my head. I LOVE YOU. I tried to say it thirty-two ways" (Kidd 149).
In the book it talks about how we love, not just what and who we love, but how we love. It says that in one language there are thirty two words for love and I wonder why there is only one in English. To be quite honest it actually bugs me a significant amount. I do not love my puppy dog Oreo in the same way I love my best friend. I love them both, but in different ways. I love my best friend in a different way than I love my parents and I love my parents in a different way than I love my crush. There are not only different levels of love, but also different kinds.
-Erin
"'Every person on the face of the earth makes mistakes, Lily. Every last one. We're all so human. Your mother made a terrible mistake, but she tried to fix it,'" (Kidd 256).
- This ties back into the way Mary sees people, with both the bad and the good. To me it shows that there is balance because even though Deborah messed up, she tried to atone for her mistakes. -Becca
"May was saying that when it's time to die, go ahead and die, and when it's time to live, live. Don't sort-of-maybe live, but live like your going all out, like you're not afraid'" (Kidd 211).
I think this is a significant quote because not only June but also Lily are sort-of-mabe living. They have chains around them like Mary did and these chains are creating boundaries for them. They are preventing them from going after what they want and stopping them from sucess. Lily and June need to break free of their chains and live life like they now how much lifes worth.
-Erin
"A queenless colony is a pitiful and melancholy community; there may be a mournful wail or lament from within... Without intervention, the colony will die. But introduce a new queen and the most extravagant change takes place"(Kidd 277).
-This quote sticks out to me because it shows the possibility of making amends for a mistake. It also shows that the center of our lives can change as well as leadership.- Becca
"I looked into his eyes. They were full of a strange fogginess. 'Daddy,' I said. I shouted it. 'Daddy!'" (Kidd 295).
She's never called her dad Daddy before. He has always been just T Ray because a dad is suppost to be loving and caring and a guardian over their child and he did not deserve this title. Yet she called him it and it broke him out of his trance. She called him Daddy and it moved him. Its sad alittle bit. I think Lily loves him and maybe even forgives him alittle bit or else she never would've been able to say that to him. If he didnt care for her at all he wouldnt have responded.
-Erin

-This quote to me is very descriptive and it shows the change in Lily's demeanor.-Becca
-Also, I would just like to add that the women are the goddesses, because they are named after them. (June and May-- see the symbols page)-Becca
"'Its your secret,' she said. 'You do what you want with it'" (Kidd 79).
I think this is good of Rosaleen. Our secrets are our own and shes not forcing Lily to confess anything. Lily needs time to think things over before she admits to the things shes done. Its not her secret to tell. We all have our secrets and they are our own and what we do with them should be up to us because we are the person that is affected by them the most.
-Erin
"I felt I'd stumbled upon an amazing secret--it was possible to close your eyes and exit life without actually dying. You just had to faint. Only I didn't know how to make it happen, how to pull the plug so I could drain away when I needed to." (Kidd 112).
-This quote shows that deep down Lil is hurting, and that she desperately wants her fears to go away without any sacrifice. It also shows that she really doesn't want to deal with her problems at this point in the book.
- Becca
"Every time I shot back, What's wrong with living in a dream world? And she'd say, You have to wake up" (Kidd 121).
Lily is out of touch with reality. She has this emptiness inside of here that she keeps trying to cover up and every time she tries to do that she just steps further away from everything thats important. She chooses to be ignorant and refuses to deal with things that are difficult. She is putting her life on pause by being at August's but in the end shes going to have to face her past and accept it in order to move on.
-Erin
"If I told you right now that I never wondered about that dream, never closed my eyes and pictured her with roach legs, never wondered why she came to me like that, with her worst nature exposed, I would be up to my old habit of lying. A roach is a creature no one can love, but you cannot kill it. It will go on and on and on. Just try to get rid of it." (Kidd 174-175).
-This quote says a lot to me. I think that it shows how touchy of a subject Lily's mother is. I think it also shows that deep down, Lily might believe that her mother left her, and Lily hates her for it. -Becca

-Erin
Chapters 6-7:
Oh! Susanna:Susanna - This song her mother.
Chains:
Chains - Everybody has her guilt.
Obadiah:
Obadiah - Obadiah is found Mary.
August:
August - August means motherly figure.
Tiburon:
Tiburon - Tiburon means
Chapters 8-10:
Lady of Chains-Chains - I think in herself.
Bees-
Bees - I think “honey bee”.
Cockroaches:
Cockroaches - I think racial prejudice).
June:
June - The month marital issues.
July:
July - This is this happened.
May:
May - This month
- Bex
Chapters 10-12:
April:April - April is killed herself.
Honey:
Honey - I think book.
T. Ray: theRay - The meaning for he is.
Picture:
Picture - The picture to do.
Neil:
Neil - Neil means
-Bex
Chapters 13-14:
Moon - "I have more mothers than any eight girls off the street. They are the moons shining over me" (Kidd 302). All these women at the end of the book who stand waiting patiently for her are her guardians, they are her protectors. The moon gives light in the night and watches over all people like August and all the other daughters of Mary watch over Lily. This is her family. They have chosen to love her and be there for her and she has chosen them.
Statue of Mary - I think that Mary symbolizes life. She does not just symbolize being alive but living life to the fullest. She reminds them that when its time to die its time to die, but while your heart is still beating than their is time to live. Mary is chained up every year, but in the story every time she breaks free out of her bondage. "Our Lady is not some magical being out there somewhere, like a fairy godmother. She's not the statue in the parlor. She's something inside of you" (Kidd 288). If Mary is something inside of us, than that means that we all have chains that make walls between us and living our lives. These chains create boundaries, but theres hope because everytime Mary is chained up she gains her freedom back again. She breaks her chains. People need to do the same thing. They need to break those bonds that are holding them back, they need to face their fears and then they are free to live.
Honey - "'See, Lily, honey is a perservative. It seals over the comb in the hives to keep it safe and pure so the bees can survive the winter" (Kidd 269). I think that in a way the honey represents love and memories because it perserves things. Lily has been saved by love. She understands it know and feels value through it. Love makes things worth remembering. It represents memories because the past is worth remembering and it should be sealed in our hearts. It should not control our heart but it should be remembered.
-Erin